Neal Schon Says He Reunited With Steve Perry In April Fool's Post

By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta

April 1, 2019

April Fool's jokes rarely revel in self-deprecation as much as the one Journey's Neal Schon played early Monday morning, when he jokingly Tweeted that he and Steve Perry had reconnected after 30 years and already planned to record together again.

"Ok! It happened!" Schon wrote in his post, which appeared at around midnight April 1 Pacific time and also included an old photo of himself and Perry. "We had that coffee and are heading in the studio this coming week!"

This joke feels almost too personal, but it's unclear for which party the sentiment stings most. Journey fans have long pined for Perry to return to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. Some did not appreciate Schon's sense of humor about the whole thing.

Perhaps in deference to the sensitivity of the issues, Schon tipped his hand at the joke when he suggested he and his longtime partner were recording 'this coming' week. Even the thirstiest Perry/Schon fans weren't going to get fooled by that for more than a moment.

"I'd almost believe you, if it wasn't for the date," wrote one Twitter user in the comments.

The reason for Perry stiff-arming Schon so hard for so long is complicated and remains up for debate. It likely stems from a number of factors, including total and complete burnout from touring, longstanding frustration at how Journey continued without him in the '90s while he recovered from hip replacement surgery and the fact that he doesn't have much motivation to resume performing live, especially with Journey — one of the hardest touring bands in the world.

Perry once explained that doing anything at all with Schon would lead to a deluge of expectations of a reunion with Journey, and thus more disappointment than ever.